Tile or slab applicable for covering or protecting underground cables and the like



1936. H. J. D. L, WALMSLEY ,979

TILE OR SLAB APPLICABLE FOR COVERING OR PROTECTING UNDERGROUND CABLES AND LIKE Filed June 17, 19

HZDL- WALMsLEy JNVENTOIQ.

Patented Dec. 1, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT FFIQE TILE OR SLAB APPLECABLE FOR COVERING OR PROTECTING UNDERGROUND GABLES AND THE LIKE Application June 17, 1935, Serial N0. 27,133 In Great Britain October 3, 1934 10 Claims.

This invention comprises improvements in or relating to titles or slabs applicable for covering or protecting underground cables and the like and refers more particularly to members for indicating the position of and/or for protecting buried electric cables. Tiles or slabs employed for this purpose are arranged end to end and connected together by interlocking elements so that they extend in a line or chain longitudinally over the cable.

Now it is the main object of the present invention to provide an improved method of and means for connecting or linking together the tiles or slabs so that the possibility of their becoming disconnected and displaced from their effective protecting or covering position due to earth subsidence is obviated.

According to the present invention adjoining tiles or slabs are connected together or interlocked by linking elements or staples of S or double-hook formation.

Each 8 or like shaped link when assembled in the interlocking position has one portion which hooks over a part at the end or edge of one tile 5 and another portion which hooks beneath a part at the end or edge of the next adjacent tile; and in assembling the link in position one end portion thereof is inserted into or through a hole in one tile from the upper side thereof and the opposite end portion of the link is inserted into or through a hole in the adjoining tile from the underside thereof.

For the purpose of more fully describing the nature of this invention reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a number of tiles connected together in accordance with this invention, said tiles being shaped to form a bend in the line.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation the adjacent end portions of two adjoining t with connecting link in position.

Figures 3, l, and 5 are end elevational views of three different shapes of tiles.

45 In a convenient method of carrying out the invention the tiles or slabs I are made of earth.- enware, pottery or the like and are substantially rectangular in plan, such tiles being connected together end to end by metal link elements of 50 approximately S-shape, which links may of round, square, flat or other desired cross section. The two end leg portions 2A, 2B are accommodated in holes 3 advantageously provided centrally in the width of the tiles; in the construc- 55 tion illustrated said holes preferably extend cornpletely through the thickness of the tiles, one hole near each end thereof.

In assembling a link as above in position one end leg 2A of the link is inserted downwardly into or through the hole 3 near the end of one tile so 5 that a horizontal portion of the link bridges an end portion of the tile, and when so disposed the second tile is connected end to end with the first-named tile by causing the opposite end leg 23 to project upwardly into the vertical hole 3 in 10 said second tile so as to cause the second horizontal portion 2D of the link to pass beneath the end portion of said second tile.

Advantageously the two end faces of the con nected tiles are caused to abut or are brought 15 close together by providing vertical grooves l in said end faces, which grooves accommodate the central vertical portion E of the link 2. If desired, however, the groove t may be provided in only one of the abutting end faces. 20

Advantageously also the horizontal bridge portion 22C of the link 2 is accommodated in a groove or channel 5 formed in the upper face of the tile and extending from the top of the hole to the adjacent end of the tile. In this way the 25 link does not project above the surface of the tile. A similar groove or channel may also be provided on the underface of the tile for receiving the lower horizontal portion 213 of the link; or in lieu of this channel or groove the under surface of the tile itself may be formed concave, as indicated at l, in Figure l.

Each end of a tile is formed with link-receiving holes and grooves as before-described, and in connecting together a line or series of tiles end 5 to end a hook portion of one link is caused to pass over the one end of a tile, while at the opposite end of the same tile a hook portion of another link passes under said end in a manner clearly indicated in Fig. 1; By this means it will be appreciated that each tile serves through its connecting links to support the next adjacent tile, and it is impossible for one tile to become inadvertently disconnected from another tile due to earth subsidence when the tiles are linked together.

The upper face of the tiles may be either flat, curved (as indicated by a dotted line in Figure 3) or inclined. For example, said upper face may be of roof-like or double pent-house shape as shown in Figure 5, said upper face rising to a central longitudinal ridge 8, the links 2 lying within grooves or channels along this central ridge. The roof-like or double pent-house shape constitutes an additional protection against damage of buried cables by excavating tools, as it will be appreciated that such a tool has a tendency to glance off the inclined faces thereof when such faces are struck.

Bends or curves may also be formed in the line of protecting tiles conforming to the bends or curves in the line of the buried cable; and to this end tiles such as indicated at IA in Fig. 1 may be provided having the two ends non-parallel, i. e. oblique to the central line of the tile, and the two sides either straight or curved as desired and preferably parallel. Where tiles such as IA are provided, the channels 5 in their upper and lower faces are preferably of divergent form.

An advantage of the constructions described and illustrated is that the hooks cannot be displaced by the pressure of earth and cannot be disengaged without first lifting one comparatively heavy slab.

I claim:-

1. A protective or warning arrangement for covering an underground cable or the like, comprising a line of slabs laid end to end each slab having a recess in its upper surface at one end and the adjacent slab having a cooperating recess in its undersurface at its abutting end, and devices connecting said abutting slabs and preventing their endwise displacement each of which devices engages the upper recess in one slab and the lower recess in the next.

2. A protective or warning arrangement for covering an underground cable or the like, comprising a line of slabs laid end to end each of which slabs has near one end a hole sunk in from its upper surface and a groove of less depth than said hole leading therefrom to the slab end and the next slab of the line has near its adjacent end a hole ascending from its undersurface and a groove of less height than said hole leading therefrom to the slab end, and keypieces connecting the successive slabs together, each of which key-pieces has one part that extends along the upper groove and down into the sunk hole of the one slab, another part that extends along the lower groove in the next slab and up into the ascending hole, and a third part joining said two parts.

3. The combination claimed in claim 2, wherein there are grooves extending up between the end faces of the slabs and the said third parts of the key-pieces extend through them.

4. In combination, a line of slabs laid end to end each of which has a hole in its upper surface near one end while the next slab has a hole in its lower surface near the adjacent end, and metal hooks of substantially S-shape linking them together, each of which hooks is inserted down into the top hole of one slab and up into the bottom hole of the next.

5. A tile or slab for use in covering underground cables or the like, of substantially rectangular form in plan and having near each end a hole pierced through it from top to bottom and grooves in its upper and lower surfaces leading from the top and bottom of each hole to the adjacent end.

6. A tile or slab according to claim 5, having a groove up each end face, communicating with the top and bottom grooves.

7. A line of identical tiles or slabs placed end to end, each of which tiles is substantially rectangular in plan and has near each end a hole pierced through it from top to bottom, grooves in its upper and lower surfaces leading from the ends of each hole to the adjacent end face and a groove up said end face communicating with the top and bottom grooves, combined with substantially S-shaped hooks for locking each tile to the next in line, each of which hooks extends in the grooves along the top of one tile, between the adjacent end faces of the tiles and along the bottom of the next tile and has one end inserted down the hole in the one tile and the other end inserted up the hole in the next tile.

8. The subject-matter of claim 7, including in the line at least one tile having its end-faces nonparallel and having the top and bottom grooves therein of divergent form in plan.

9. A protective or warning device for covering underground cables and the like, comprising a line of tiles or slabs laid end to end, each tile having a downwardly directed recess in its upper surface near one end and an upwardly directed recess in its under surface near the other end, which tiles are located in the line with that end of any one tile, whereat the top recess is provided,

adjacent to that end of the next tile whereat the bottom recess is provided, and connecting devices connecting adjacent tiles, each of which devices is of S-like shape and has a downwardly directed part inserted into the top recess of one tile, an upwardly directed part inserted into the bottom recess of the next tile, and an intermediate part which extends between the two connected tiles and unites said two parts.

10. A line of tiles or slabs placed end to end, each of which tiles has a recess near one end in a surface other than an end surface and an oppositely directed recess near the other end in an opposite surface other than an end surface, which recesses are directed inwards from said surfaces into the tile, and in which line each tile is located with that end near which a recess is provided in one surface adjacent to that end of the next tile near which a recess is provided in the opposed surface, combined with substantially S-shaped coupling members for coupling successive tiles together against endwise separation each of which members has one hook end inserted into a recess near one end of a tile and the other hook end inserted into the oppositely directed recess near the adjacent end of the next tile.

HORACE JAMES DONALD LESLIE WALMSLEY. 

